Scattered
by pelagia911
Summary: Dean is hit with something that causes his soul/personality to split into several pieces. When one endangers the lives of all of them, they have to figure out how to put Dean back together. Dean learns a lot about himself in the process. Destiel.
1. Chapter 1

"What the hell was that?" Sam was half dragging his brother to the car after he had cried out in pain and doubled over in the restaurant.

"You think I know?" Dean groaned in pain and leaned into Sam. He felt like something was ripping him apart from the inside.

Sam opened the back door to the Impala and helped Dean lay down. He shut the door and looked up to the sky. "Cas! We need your help."

He turned around when he heard Dean kick the door from the inside and saw Castiel standing by the trunk. "Cas, Dean needs help."

Castiel walked around the car and met Sam by the door as he opened it. Sam had leaned down to help Dean up, but what he saw made him stop. Castiel couldn't see inside the car and had heard Sam gasp.

"Sam, what is it?" He put a hand on his shoulder.

"I…" Sam stood and turned to Castiel with a shocked expression.

"What?" Castiel looked into the car and saw a much younger Dean staring back at him.

"What's wrong?" Dean could tell by their faces that something happened. The pain was gone and he felt great now, but was worried by the looks he was getting.

"Dean, you don't feel any different?" Castiel could see something different with Dean other than his physical appearance, but he couldn't figure out what it was.

"Well, I don't feel like a raccoon is trying to claw its way out of me anymore."

Sam grabbed him by the arm and pulled him out of the car. When Dean protested, Sam pushed him down to look at himself in the side mirror on the Impala.

Dean's mouth dropped open is shock. "Oh my god." Dean was looking at his face from when he was maybe twenty-two. "What the hell?!" He turned and looked at the other two. "What happened to me?"

Sam just shook his head. Castiel furrowed his brows. "You've reverted to a younger age."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Yeah, no shit, Sherlock. How? We weren't even hunting anything right now." He crossed his arms in frustration.

"I think we've pissed off enough things to never feel safe." Sam felt a smile forming as his brother sighed dramatically.

"So, what happened exactly?" Castiel was still trying to figure out why Dean still seemed different.

"We were eating and then I suddenly felt like I'd been stabbed and was being ripped apart inside." Dean grimaced as he thought about the pain. "Then, when I was in the car, the pain just stopped."

"Witch, maybe?" Sam thought that was their best bet.

"Probably." Dean rubbed his arms absently. "I hate witches."

"Let's just get back to the bunker so we can try to figure out what to do."

The three men were walking around the car when a familiar voice got their attention.

"Hey!"

They all looked in the direction of the voice and collectively dropped their jaws in shock. A smiling, current-aged, Dean was running towards them while waving a hand in the air.

"What the…?" Dean backed away slightly as the smiling man got closer.

"I'm so glad I found you!" The second Dean caught up to the younger one and enveloped him in a tight hug.

"Whoa," Dean kept his arms at his side as the other man hugged him for a much too long hug. "What's happening right now?" He looked at Sam and Castiel but they seemed too confused by what was going on to respond.

Dean was clapped on the back a couple times before the man let him go and turned to the others with a bright smile. "Sammy!" He jumped forward and latched onto Sam for another tight hug.

Sam laughed and briefly returned the hug before Dean pulled back and looked at Castiel. "Cas," he pulled Castiel close for a hug, "I missed you so much."

Dean was having Cupid flashbacks but was more confused by this incident. "What's going on? Who are…What are you?" The other man seemed to ignore him as he continued to hold Castiel in a hug. Castiel just stood completely still, lost as to how to react. "Hey," Dean clapped, getting the other man's attention.

"Sorry." He smiled again and let go of Castiel. "I just barely ever get a chance to do that."

"What are you talking about?" Dean could feel a headache coming on.

"You guys don't let me hug anyone very often. It feels so good to do what I want." He chuckled and raised his shoulders slightly.

"Who doesn't let you hug anyone?" Sam looked at the man.

"Him," he pointed to Dean, "and the others of course."

"What others? What are you?!" Dean thought he should be panicking but he was just confused.

The older Dean turned his head in confusion. "I'm you." He said it like that should clear everything up.

"Cas?" Dean looked at the angel, hoping he'd have some kind of explanation.

Castiel was staring at the other Dean with narrow eyes. "He's not a demon. It seems to be you, but something is off," he looked at the younger Dean, "with both of you, actually."

"Okay, let's just get to the bunker and figure this out." Sam moved around the car.

"I'm driving." Dean held his hands out for the keys.

"No." Sam laughed. "We don't need you to have another fit and crash."

Dean sighed. He made sure to get in the front. He wasn't going to sit by whatever the other guy was. Castiel seemed to not notice how the smiling Dean kept glancing at him during the drive.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Sam decided to talk. "So, what do you mean that you're Dean?"

The man just shrugged. "I just am Dean."

"And this is Dean?" Sam pointed to his brother leaning against the window.

"Yeah, he's Dean and I'm a part of Dean."

"What does that mean?"

He furrowed his brow and frowned. "I don't know. I just know that I'm Dean."

Dean sighed and looked up in frustration. "Sam, I think he's literally told us everything he knows."

Castiel was looking at the man beside him. "How did you find us?"

He shrugged. "I just knew, like I was drawn to him."

Dean ran a hand over his face as he tried to understand what was going on. Sam glanced at the smiling Dean in the rearview mirror. "You mentioned others, what others?"

"The others." He shrugged and smiled like it should be obvious to them.

"We don't know what that means." Dean gestured frantically with his hands. This uber-happy version of himself was irritating.

"The other parts of you, Dean. The ones who won't let me hug people." He turned his smile to Castiel. "I always want to hug everyone, but they never let me. It just feels so good, but they don't understand."

Sam tried to not laugh, in fear of his brother smacking him, but the Dean in the backseat was like his brother when he was stoned. "Cas, does any of that make sense to you?"

The angel shook his head while eyeing the happy Dean. "No."

"So, these others will probably find me too, right," Dean looked back at the other man. "Will they be drawn to me?"

Happy Dean seemed to think about it and then nodded. "Yeah, most likely."

"Is that a good thing?" Sam looked at his brother.

"Oh yeah," the Dean in the back leaned forward in excitement, "those guys are awesome. Most of them anyway," he chuckled, "one or two of them are kinda mean, but they can't help it."

Dean felt a headache coming on and hoped he was just dreaming and he'd wake up perfectly normal again.

* * *

They arrived at the bunker about twenty minutes later. Which was more than enough time for Dean to want to strangle the happy version of himself. The dude never shut up.

"Honestly, Sam, I love the hair. I can't even imagine what you'd look like with something shorter. I think I just give you a hard time because it bothers you so much."

The group walked in together and Dean quickly made his way to the kitchen to get a drink. The fact that the other Dean could enter the bunker was promising. Supernatural evil wasn't supposed to be able to enter it of their own will.

Sam was laughing at Dean's comment as he spoke again. "Why don't you just have a seat? I need to talk to Cas."

He smiled broadly. "Sure thing, Sammy." He closed his arms around Sam for a long tight hug.

Sam laughed again. "Thanks, that's good." He patted his back and Dean let him go. Sam walked with Castiel and met Dean out of ear range of the smiling Dean looking around the bunker as he sat at the table.

"So, Cas, any ideas about what's going on?" Sam might've found all of this amusing at first, but the reality was that something was clearly and radically wrong with Dean.

Castiel shook his head. "No, I've never seen anything like this. Dean is clearly different and I can see a difference with his soul but it doesn't make sense."

Dean huffed and took a big drink from the liquor bottle he was holding. "Great."

"You two weren't doing anything or hunting anything when this happened?"

Dean shook his head. "No, we haven't worked a case in weeks. It has to be a witch though, right? Who else would or could do this?"

"We don't even know what this is." Sam ran a hand through his hair. "I just don't get the age thing. Why is he your current age and you're so young?"

Dean shrugged. "I know. Not that I mind being in my twenties again, but why like this?"

Before anyone could ask any more questions, there was loud banging from the bunker door. Everyone looked up in surprise. Happy Dean made to get up but Sam pointed at him, "No, just stay there."

Sam and Dean pulled out their guns and moved to the stairs up to the door. Sam motioned to Castiel to stay close to the other Dean. He stood nearby and put a hand on his shoulder. Dean smiled up at Castiel and put a hand over his. Castiel was confused but didn't move his hand away.

The banging sounded three more times as Sam and Dean approached the door. They had no way to look out the door so Sam just opened it slightly and nearly dropped his gun at the sight that greeted him.

Another Dean was standing outside the bunker. This one wasn't smiling, but looked calm. His hair was smoothed down and parted to the side and he was wearing thin framed glasses. His clothes looked neat and his shirt was tucked in. He was also Dean's current age. He nodded to Sam in greeting.

"Hi, Sam."

"What is it?" Dean was worried by the look on Sam's face. He pushed him over and opened the door. Dean groaned. "You've got to be kidding me."

The Dean outside looked at him with disapproval. "What are you doing answering the door? It's not safe for you to do that right now." He pushed his way in and made his way down the stairs like he owned the place.

Sam shut the door and followed the man down the stairs. "What do you mean it's not safe?"

He turned like he intended to answer, but the smiling Dean cut him off. "Hey! I'm so glad you made it." Happy Dean engulfed the other Dean in a big hug.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Oh my god, do we really have to do this with every person you see?"

Happy Dean pulled back and laughed. "Sorry. I just can't help it." He stepped away from the newest arrival and clasped his hands together.

"You were saying," Sam prompted for the neat looking Dean to continue.

He looked at Sam. "It's not safe for him," he pointed at young Dean, "to be taking any risks right now. He's very vulnerable."

"What?" Dean shifted a little closer to the man in glasses. "I can take care of myself."

The man raised a brow. "Not without us you can't."

"Without who?"

He looked at Sam. "Us." He pointed to himself and the smiling Dean now leaning on the map table. "And the others, of course."

"You both keep talking about the others, but who is that?"

"The other aspects of Dean. The other parts that make up who he is." He looked at the young Dean. "Without us, you're nothing but the base elements of your soul. You feel nothing and you won't be able to think to much extent."

Castiel seemed to then understand what was happening. He stepped closer to that Dean. "You're all parts of Dean's soul?"

He turned to look at the angel. "Yes, we represent the different traits that make up who he is."

"That's why you all look so strange to me." He looked between the three Deans. "You all look like Dean, but not complete. I couldn't place it before."

"Cas," young Dean stepped closer, "how can that even happen? A soul can't be broken apart. Death told me that himself."

"It's not broken, Dean. Someone has just made the different parts materialize into physical forms."

"Who can even do that?"

Castiel shook his head. "I don't know. I've never seen it happen before."

"So, you probably have no idea how to fix it." Castiel shook his head again. Dean looked at the smiling one. "And you couldn't tell us this?"

The man shrugged. "I didn't know. All I know is that I am Dean, you're Dean, and he's Dean."

"He doesn't have the capacity to understand, Dean." The one in glasses was watching with a slight look of contempt. "He doesn't really have a function when it comes to thought and knowledge."

Happy Dean laughed. "I don't."

The other Dean rolled his eyes.

"How many more of you are there?" Dean looked at the newest one since he might actually know.

"Uh," the man seemed to be counting internally, "four."

"God help me." Dean groaned.

"Don't be ridiculous. God won't be of any help." The new Dean looked at Sam. "We need to try and find a way to fix this, preferably before the others show up."

"Why, are they dangerous?" Sam had been smiling but was worried now.

"Not all of them, but we're the easiest ones to deal with. Believe me, the others won't be of any help and will need constant attention. And one of them is extremely dangerous and will need to be kept away from Dean at all times."

"What, why?" Dean didn't know how a part of his own soul could or would hurt him. "What part is he?"

"A very bad one. One that you always keep buried. One that wants to be released and doesn't care about any of us." He looked at Dean with an expectant look.

Dean felt an icy stab in his gut when he thought of what it could possibly be. He looked at the happy Dean and even he wasn't smiling now.

"What's he talking about, Dean? What part?" Sam didn't know what could possibly be so bad, but Dean looked terrified.

He shook his head. "Just find a way to fix it."

Sam nodded and walked off with brainy Dean to the library. Castiel hesitated but Dean nodded for him to go too. He had forgotten about the other man's presence until his hand was grabbed, making him jump.

"It'll be okay, Dean. Everything will be okay." Dean closed his eyes and wondered if slapping him would be appropriate or if it would hurt him too. He considered it more when the man hugged him from the side.


	2. Chapter 2

Sam, Castiel, and brainy Dean talked and read about anything they could find related to the subject at hand. They weren't coming up with much. They knew that all parts of Dean's soul would eventually find him since he was like a beacon to them, but they didn't know if the problem would just fix itself or not.

They'd been researching for about an hour when knocking sounded again. Sam and Castiel went to the door while all the Deans waited at the bottom of the stairs. Sam opened the door to reveal another Dean. He was dressed in Dean's normal attire and looked more like what Sam usually saw with Dean. He was smirking and seemed relaxed.

"Hey, Sammy." He walked in and slapped Sam's shoulder. He looked at Castiel as he walked in. "Cas." His tone had changed and Sam saw him look Castiel up and down slowly. Castiel noticed the look, but didn't have time to respond as Sam intercepted him.

"Come with me." He grabbed his arm and took him down the stairs. Dean pouted as he was lead away.

The Dean in glasses rolled his eyes when he saw who it was and turned back to the book he was reading. The smiling Dean gave his usual greeting and tight hug. This Dean returned the hug with a laugh and a loud kiss to his cheek, making smiling Dean giggle.

"God, Dean," Sam stopped next to his brother, "you're so gross."

"Shut up." Dean shoved Sam gently. He was curious who this Dean was but he quickly figured it out when his hands lingered on the other Dean's arms and he looked at Castiel in a way that clearly meant he was checking him out. He groaned internally.

"Don't think I didn't see you, nerd." The newest Dean walked over to the one reading in the library.

"Leave me alone." He didn't even look up from his book.

He leaned over the table and put a hand over the text the other man was reading. Dean looked up over his glasses and glared at him. "I just wanted to say hi."

"I'm sure." He peeled the hand of his book. When he made to put it back, Dean slapped his hand away. "Stop it."

"You stop it." He tried to put his hand in his book again, laughing at the other's frustration.

Dean slammed the book down and stood up. "Go away."

"No." He smiled. "I love it when you get all worked up."

Sam shook his head. "You are so messed up."

Dean ran a hand over his face. "I know." He could hear the pair bickering in the library and he really didn't want to see them start making out, which is where the newest one would probably want to take it.

"Dean," Castiel's voice made him jump, "I think we might want to separate everyone. They don't seem to work well together." He watched the two fighting in the library.

"Yeah, we probably should."

Castiel leaned closer and lowered his voice. "And, the other one keeps hugging me and trying to hold my hand."

They both glanced back at the smiling Dean, who was still standing by the stairs. He waved at them.

"Sorry, Cas. I don't know why they're all so weird."

"They're just you, Dean." Sam laughed as he spoke. "I've seen all of these guys before. Not usually to this extreme, but I've seen all of these personalities come out at one point or another."

"Well, we need to at least separate these two," Dean pointed to the couple now arguing closely in the library, "before they try to kill or kiss each other."

They didn't have much trouble getting the flirty Dean out of the library as he seemed to enjoy being manhandled by the others. He got along well with the happy one so they stuck them near the door and let the other one retreat to a bedroom to continue researching.

Sam and Dean were in the library when they heard one of the Dean's complimenting Castiel.

"I mean, I never thought much of trench coats before but you really pull it off." Dean looked up to see the flirty Dean standing close to Castiel. "And I love this tie." He reached out and took the blue tie in his hands. "It really brings out your eyes."

Dean sighed and made his way to them. He heard Castiel thanking Dean for the compliment. Dean nearly tripped on the steps when the other Dean spoke again.

"Of course, beautiful." Dean saw him wink at Castiel and felt a flare of jealousy, which confused him because it was technically him who said that.

Castiel furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Dean as he approached. Dean laughed and pulled the other Dean's hands away from Castiel's tie. "That's enough, tiger."

"Is it?" He raised his brows at Dean and smiled.

"Yes." He pushed him back and made him sit. "Keep your hands to yourself."

"See, now I'm confused." He smiled again and reached out for the smiling Dean that had been giggling at the table. "Is this still keeping to myself?" He ran a hand through the other Dean's hair, making him squirm and laugh. "Since we're all you, am I allowed to do this?"

"No, stop." Why was he so weird?

"But you said to keep my hands to myself, and he is myself, and so are you." He grinned a toothy grin and continued touching the other Dean.

"He is correct, Dean."

"Cas, don't encourage him." He pointed at the angel and then to the now smug looking Dean. "Stop it. Don't touch anyone. Don't say anything inappropriate to anyone."

"Well," he pulled his hand away from the other Dean, "now we need to discuss what exactly is inappropriate."

"I can't do this." Dean waved his hands and grabbed Castiel, leading him away from the handsy version of himself.

"Oh come on, Dean," the man shouted after them, "don't be like that."

Dean ignored him and led Castiel back to where Sam was trying not to laugh. "Sorry about all this, Cas."

Castiel shook his head. "Don't be. It's interesting to see all these sides of you."

Sam let out a laugh. "Shut up, Sam." Dean smacked him.

"Okay," Sam tried to suppress his laughter. "What are we going to do, Dean? Smart you was right, these guys need constant attention and we don't have any idea what to look for since we don't know what could've done this."

Dean was getting a headache again. He tried to think of something to make all of this easier, but he wasn't coming up with anything. He really didn't have much brain power without the other one.

He sighed when the Deans left at the map table started tickling each other. "Okay, Sam," he turned to face his brother, "you take flirty me, he shouldn't try to molest you." He turned to Castiel. "You go brainstorm with the nerd, try to figure out what could do this and any solutions. I'll deal with happy Magee over there."

They all nodded and moved to their tasks. Sam dragged his Dean away from the other one and took him to a separate room to try and research. Castiel found the room brainy Dean was in and joined him. Dean sighed heavily as he was left alone with his smiling self.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Dean finally looked at himself. The man was just smiling at him in a very creepy way. He perked up when Dean looked at him. Dean decided to take pity on him. "So, any idea how long the others will take to get here?"

The other man chuckled and shook his head. "No. Probably not long. You're easy for us to find."

"Great."

"Can I help with anything?"

Dean was about to say no but the poor guy looked so eager to please that he couldn't. "Uh, yeah actually," the other man sat up straighter, "I haven't had a chance to clean much in the kitchen lately and…"

"Say no more." The smiling Dean stood. "I can do that. I like cleaning. Well, I like to make you happy and cleaning the kitchen does tend to do that. If only I was a good cook, I would make something too, but I don't really have that capacity to follow recipes well or plan out anything…"

Dean forced a laugh and stood to gently push the babbling man towards the kitchen. "Well, sparky, it ain't gonna clean itself."

He laughed. "You're right. I'll get on that."

He walked away and Dean felt himself relax. He wished that he could stay there and just have something more to drink, but he had to get all this shit fixed first. He made his way to the room Sam was sharing with his counterpart. The whining coming from the room didn't get his hopes up.

Dean peaked his head in. "Everything okay in here?"

Sam stood and moved close to him with a face that screamed for help. "Dean, you need to get him out of here. He's driving me crazy." Dean glanced at the other man as he made squeaking noises with his mouth. "He never shuts up and he keeps telling me about your sex experiences and," Sam closed his eyes and shook his head, "I'm gonna kill him."

The squeaking stopped as the other Dean stood up. "Dean, why did you leave me with Sam? You know he's no fun."

"Well, I had to. I figured you were only safe with a blood relative." The other Dean rolled his eyes at him.

"You're such a party pooper." He stepped closer to the brothers and raised a brow. "Why don't I go help Cas? He wouldn't tell me to shut up."

Sam huffed through his nose and pushed his way out of the room to get some space. Dean put a hand on his counterpart when he made to leave. "No, you stay here. You're not going anywhere near Cas."

The other man smiled. "Oh, so bossy. What's the matter, Dean? You afraid of what I'll do to Cas?" His tongue played along one of his teeth as he smiled again. "There are so many things we want to do to Cas aren't there?"

Dean shook his head. "No, stop." The other man laughed again. "You just stay here and don't talk to anyone or touch anyone."

The man groaned loudly in frustration as Dean closed the door behind him. He moved down the hallway to check on the one version of himself that seemed sane. He knocked lightly as he opened the door.

Castiel and brainy Dean looked up as he entered. They were both looking at a large book and seemed to have been talking in hushed tones before he came in.

"You guys okay?" He looked mostly at Castiel, who seemed perfectly as ease with the other Dean.

"We're fine, Dean." Castiel nodded to him. "We've been going through the possibilities of what could've done this."

"We've narrowed it down to a pissed witch or pissed angel." The other man leaned against the desk in the room and crossed his arms. Dean should wear nicer clothes more often, he looked good.

"There were other possibilities, but we ruled them out as a long shot." Castiel turned to face Dean fully and squinted at him slightly. "Are you alright, Dean?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He was, considering what was happening. He thought he should probably be freaking out more than he was, but he felt okay.

"You just seem strange." Castiel turned his head as he continued to study Dean.

"Of course he does," the other Dean chimed in, "he's not a complete version of himself. We all seem strange right now."

"Of course." Castiel didn't look convinced but he dropped his gaze.

"Okay, witch or angel. That's awesome." Dean was going to ask about a plan when loud banging echoed from the door. He sighed internally. He was just getting used to the three parts of himself that were there now.

Everyone gathered around the map table as Sam ascended the stairs to find what new Hell was waiting for them now.

When he opened the door, Sam was immediately holding a sobbing version of his brother. A different one had practically thrown him at Sam.

"I found that outside." The Dean that threw the other one looked angry and had his jaw clenched tight. He moved by Sam roughly and made his way down the stairs.

Sam looked down at the man he was holding. It was Dean but he was crying like he'd never seen before and had his arms tight around Sam. He wasn't sure what to do. He managed to walk him down the stairs without too much trouble.

Dean was worried. The version of himself coming down the stairs reminded him too much of the Dean he saw when he was in the 2014 camp. The other one was a crying mess. Dean looked at the man walking towards him. "What did you do to him?" He pointed to the Dean crying as he walked down the stairs with Sam.

"Nothing. I found him outside like that. Apparently the baby was too afraid to knock."

The happy Dean was frowning and ran over to the crying one when Sam got to their level. He immediately hugged him, relieving Sam, and looked at the Dean he'd entered with. "Why are you so mean to him?"

"Why is he such a useless pile of shit?" The angry Dean turned to the pair with a sneer, making them back up slightly. "Who knows what could've followed him here or seen him crying outside like an infant? He's useless and could be putting us in danger."

"Hey," the brainy Dean took a step forward, "don't talk about him like that."

"I'll say whatever I want, nerd."

"We all need to work together right now."

"Please, like we even could." He pointed to the pair that were still clutched together. "Those two are useless in a fight." He pointed to the flirty Dean, who was sitting casually at the table. "He doesn't care about anyone but himself. And you," he pointed to the one in glasses, "take so damn long thinking about shit that we'd probably be killed if we waited for you to think things through."

Brainy Dean laughed. "Please, I've saved your stupid ass more times than you can count."

The room erupted into arguing from all the Deans while Castiel and Sam stood in shock. Young Dean stepped onto the map table and stomped a foot. "EVERYONE SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

Silence followed and everyone looked up at Dean. He couldn't believe what a mess these people were and didn't know how he did anything when they were a part of him.

"Now, no one says a fucking word except for me." Dean looked at everyone slowly. "I want each one of you to pick a room and go into it until Sam, Cas, or myself come to get you. I'm not dealing with this shit from you guys. Get out." He pointed to the hall of open rooms.

Most of them went without fuss, but the hysterical Dean was still crying in happy Dean's arms. Dean hopped off the table and walked over to them. "You two can pick a room together. I don't think you'll cause any trouble."

They both smiled in thanks and started walking away, still clutched together. "By the way," they stopped to look at him, "neither one of you is useless." They smiled again and continued to their room together.

"God, Dean." Sam walked to him slowly.

"I know," Dean pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What's the plan?"

Dean shook his head. He'd had one at some point, but the pounding in his head made him forget. "I don't know. I just needed some quiet." He sat down in the chair beside him and dropped his head on the table. "Sam, do we have any sticky labels anywhere, like for a nametag?" His voice was muffled slightly by the table.

Sam furrowed his brows. "Uh, I'm not sure. Why?"

"Could you check, please?"

Sam glanced at Castiel, who was as confused by the request as him. "Sure. I'll be back." He left the two alone to search for labels.

Castiel stood by the table silently for a moment before sitting in the chair across from Dean. "How are you, Dean?"

Dean huffed a laugh before lifting his head up. "Fantastic."

The angel smiled. "How do you feel?"

"About what?" Dean put his elbows on the table and gently massaged his temples.

"All of this." Castiel waved his hands in the direction of the rooms down the hall.

Dean shrugged. "I don't know."

Castiel leaned over the table slightly, studying Dean's face. "Are you angry, scared, worried…?"

Dean dropped his hands on the table. "What do you want me to say, Cas?"

"What you're feeling."

"I don't know!" Dean raised his voice slightly and covered his face with his hands. He was slightly worried, but not about what had split him apart, about why he didn't seem to feel much right now.

Castiel seemed to sense what he was thinking. "Are you feeling much of anything, or is it more calm and cold?"

Dean looked Castiel in the eye and could tell the angel knew something he didn't. "What's wrong with me?"

"You've had portions of your soul scattered from the core, which is you. They took the emotions from you, mostly. Along with most of your reasoning skills."

"So I'm just a mindless, emotionless, blob?" Dean thought he should be upset by that, but he wasn't.

"No," Castiel gave him a small smile, "you didn't lose everything. It's just dulled for you."

Dean nodded and sat back in his chair. "Do you know what the last part of me is, the thing I'm in danger from?" He watched Castiel for his reaction. The angel's eyes flicked away from him briefly. "I think you do. I know who it is, and the thought of that thing showing up scares me as much as is possible right now."

"It won't kill you, Dean. It would destroy itself in the process."

"I don't think it will care. Besides, I'm not worried about myself. I'm worried about what it could do to Sam or you."

"Don't worry about me. I can handle it." Castiel leaned on the table a little more. "I've dealt with him before, and Sam will be fine."

"You don't know that." Castiel was going to continue but stopped when Sam came into view.

"Well, I didn't find any labels, but we have paper and tape." Sam dropped the items on the table. "Will that work?" Sam had no idea what it would be used for, but he wanted to help.

Dean took a breath and nodded. "Yeah, that'll work." He looked up at his brother. "You got a pen?"


	3. Chapter 3

About fifteen minutes later, Dean had a stack of cut up paper in his hand while Sam held the tape dispenser. They were followed by Castiel as they neared the first room the Deans had retreated to.

"Dean, this is stupid."

"No it's not." Dean flattened the tape on his shirt that attached the roughly square piece of paper with his name on it. "I want to label all of them so we can call them something other than 'hey' or 'you'. Plus, no one will get them confused at first glance."

Sam laughed. "It's pretty hard to do that now. They're all very unique."

Dean ignored him and knocked on the first room. The Dean that answered the door was the one in glasses. Dean shuffled his papers to find the right one and held it up for Sam to put tape on it. The other Dean watched with furrowed brows.

"Here you go." Dean slapped the nametag over the man's heart. It read 'Nerd'. The other man looked at it and rolled his eyes. "Don't take it off."

"Is this really how you've been spending your time?" Nerd looked at him incredulously. "Making nametags? Shouldn't you be more concerned with the other one that's on the way?"

"One thing at a time, Nerd." Dean smiled and turned to knock on the next door. Nerd closed his door.

The angry one opened his door with a raised brow. Dean chuckled as he pulled out his tag. He slapped it on the man roughly. It read 'Dick' in heavy, dark letters. "Just for you, Dick."

Dick's lip twitched in irritation. "If any of us should be closed away in a room, it's you. You're the one we all need to protect, Dean."

"Don't worry, Dick. I'll be fine."

They continued down the hall. Dean slapped the nametags on all of the Deans. The first one they met got the name 'Happy'. His roommate got 'Sad sack'. The last one got 'Flirty'.

"What now?" Sam put the tape on the table.

"Now we need to see what might be able to fix this. There has to be some kind of spell or something. With all the knowledge in this place, there has to be something."

Sam nodded in agreement. Castiel took a step closer to Dean. "Dean, I think we also need to think about how to best keep you safe. If anything happens to you, it's over for you."

"I think he's pretty safe here, Cas." Sam smiled at the angel's seemingly overreaction. Sam didn't know what was coming.

Dean considered what he said but shook his head. "I can't just sit somewhere and do nothing. If trouble presents itself, we'll worry about it then." Castiel didn't look convinced. Dean patted his shoulder and stepped around him.

"Sam, go get Nerd to help you. Cas and I can start on the opposite side of the library."

Sam retrieved Nerd, who was all too happy to help, and the four of them worked around the library slowly. They didn't talk much unless someone thought they found something. So far, nothing had been useful.

* * *

An hour had passed when Dean noticed one of the Deans coming out of one of the rooms. He stood and put his book down. "Keep working."

Sam shook his head as he watched Dean arguing with Dick. After a minute, Dick went back to his room and Dean followed him. The door slammed shut behind them.

He turned a smile to Nerd and found him concentrating on what he was reading. His smile faded a little. Sam leaned on the table. "So," he cleared his throat, "I get that you're the intellectual part of Dean, and that the one that likes to hug and smile is his happy emotion, but what is everyone else?"

Nerd didn't seem interested in the conversation but answered while still reading. "I'm Dean's mind, reasoning, and analytical skills. Happy is Dean's affection and love. Sad Sack is Dean's fear and sadness. Flirty is Dean's sexual drive and sensual desires. Dick is his warrior and primal survival instinct."

"Huh." Sam let the information process briefly before he realized something. "How did you know all their names?" The Deans hadn't seen each other since they handed the tags out.

Nerd snorted. "I'm his mind. Of course I know what he would name us."

"Right. What about the last one?" He saw Castiel look up sharply from across the room and Nerd seemed to tense.

"I don't think we should waste time talking." Nerd turned away from Sam slightly.

"What's so bad? It's still Dean. It can't be that bad." Sam looked at Castiel and saw sympathy in his eyes before the angel looked away. "What?"

Nerd stood up and took his book over to the table with Castiel and continued reading. Sam was about to speak when he heard Dean exit Dick's room. He got up and met his brother by the map table.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah, fine." Dean seemed a little annoyed but he shrugged. "Dick was just getting restless." Dean looked at Castiel and Nerd as they talked quietly in the library. "Find anything?"

Sam shook his head. "No, nothing helpful."

Dean nodded. "I think I'm gonna make some food. I'm sure everyone is hungry and I can't read anything else tonight."

"Okay. You want any help?"

"From you? No." Dean laughed.

"What? I'm not that bad." Sam wasn't a great cook but he was good enough in the kitchen.

"Just do what you do best and I'll try to do the same." Dean walked off with a smile.

They managed to get all the Deans to cooperate and eat together with Sam and Castiel. Only a few remarks set off some of them, but were quickly stopped by Dean or Dick, who most of them seemed scared of.

Most of them went back to their rooms after dinner. Dean gave Dick permission to look around under the promise that he wouldn't touch anything dangerous. He was tired and went to see if he could sleep. Nerd and Sam were still bent over large books in the library. He didn't see Castiel before he closed his bedroom door and tried to sleep.

Sam had gone to bed shortly after Dean. Nerd didn't seem to get tired and continued combing through the MOL information. Castiel was keeping an eye on Dick. After following him for about twenty minutes, the man sighed and turned to look at him.

"Cas, if you want to come with me, you can. You following me is just making me nervous."

Castiel nodded and quickened his pace to catch up to Dick. "Sorry. I wasn't trying to put you on edge. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Dick laughed. "I'm the last one you should be worrying about."

"I suppose that's true."

They walked down the winding hallways of the bunker in silence. Dick would stop on occasion to look inside the rooms but would close the doors again and continue.

"You know what's coming, don't you?" Dick looked at Castiel. He nodded. "Good. I'm glad you're here to help keep him safe." He put a hand on Castiel's shoulder. "Keeping Dean alive and safe is all that matters. If he goes, we all go."

"I know." They looked at each other briefly before Dick smiled and squeezed Castiel's shoulder. "I want you all safe. I've always watched over you."

Dick's hand fell from his shoulder. "I know." They started walking again. "But this time you only have to worry about one of us. It doesn't matter what happens to the rest of us, only Dean."

Castiel shook his head. "You all need to exist. Dean needs all of you."

"Just worry about Dean, and keep Sam away. I don't know how he'll react to the thing that's coming."

"Probably better than you think. Sam will understand more than most would."

"That doesn't mean he won't freak out or try to sacrifice himself to keep Dean safe. You need to make sure that doesn't happen."

"Of course. You and Sam are my priority."

Castiel let Dick continue on alone and made his way back to the hallway of rooms. He moved to Dean's door and wanted to knock but he heard Dean's light snores on the other side and continued. Sam was also asleep. He heard movement from the other rooms and wondered if the other Deans would need to sleep or not.

A figure came around the corner and jumped when they saw Castiel. "Oh, you scared me." Happy laughed as he clutched his chest.

"Sorry."

"It's okay." He walked up to Castiel. "You think I'd be used to seeing you pop up everywhere since you do that a lot, but I wasn't ready for you."

"Where were you?"

"Bathroom." He looked up and down the hallway. "What are you doing?"

"Just keeping an eye on everyone."

Happy chuckled. "Like always. That's good. I feel better knowing you're here to watch out for us." He smiled as his eyes sparkled. "I always feel safer when you're around, Cas. I can always count on you."

Castiel felt a warming in his chest at the words. "Thank you."

Happy nodded and started to turn to his door but stopped and jumped forward to hug Castiel tight. The angel huffed in surprise at the gesture but quickly returned the hug. Happy didn't linger too long and pulled back.

"'Night, Cas."

"Goodnight." Castiel watched Happy enter his room and close the door. He heard another door open behind him and he turned to see Flirty watching him.

"Hi." Flirty leaned against his doorframe and smiled. Castiel nodded a greeting. "Doing your rounds, warden?"

"Sam and Dean are asleep. I want to make sure nothing happens." Castiel watched the man carefully. He wasn't sure how to feel about this Dean. He had been watching him through most of dinner and was currently looking at Castiel like Dean usually did to attractive women.

"Yeah, we wouldn't want any trouble," Flirty pushed off his doorframe and slowly walked toward Castiel, "would we, Cas?"

"No."

"Not even a little bit?" Flirty reached out and took hold of Castiel's tie. He ran it between his fingers slowly.

Castiel watched the other man's hand move down his tie. The gesture felt intimate and he felt the urge to move closer, but Flirty took a step forward instead.

"Can I show you something?" Castiel nodded and was pulled into Flirty's room by his tie.

Flirty closed the door as soon as Castiel cleared the doorway. He put a hand against the door on either side of Castiel, trapping him there.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" Flirty smiled and leaned his face closer to Castiel.

"I should really stay in the hallway to keep an eye on everyone." Castiel kept his hands against the door, despite his urge to touch this version of Dean.

"Don't worry," Flirty lowered his voice slightly, "Dick is out there right? He'll make sure everything is fine." The man pushed his face closer to Castiel and gently nudged their noses together.

Castiel's breath hitched. "What are we doing, Dean?"

Flirty laughed, sending warm air across Castiel's lips. "That's not what my nametag says, Cas."

"I'm not calling you that. I can see the difference in all of you without the tags." Castiel kept his hands in place on the door. He knew this Dean was just an extreme of Dean's sex drive so it probably wouldn't matter who was standing against the door right now.

Flirty pulled back a few inches and licked his lips. "Do you have any idea how good it feels to finally be free?" He smiled wide enough for Castiel to see most of his teeth. "To be able to say whatever I want? Do whatever I want?" Flirty dropped his hands onto Castiel's shoulders and then ran his hands up to cup Castiel's face.

Castiel's heart sped up and Flirty's touch made his face warm. He had to clear his throat before he could speak. "You couldn't before?"

The other man chuckled. "No, not really."

"It seemed like it to me." Castiel knew how flirty Dean was and how often he would have flings. It didn't bother him really, but it didn't seem true that this Dean could feel suppressed.

"It's true," Flirty let his hands go back down to Castiel's shoulders, "Dean will let me have a line or two here and there, but I don't get to play nearly as much as I used to."

The angel wasn't sure what to say to that and Flirty was distracting him with his hands as they moved down his arms, pulling his hands off the door. "That must be frustrating for you."

Flirty grabbed his wrists and tugged Castiel away from the door and closer to him. "You have no idea." When Castiel stumbled a little, he chuckled and put an arm around his waist. "But I'm free now. I can finally have what I really want."

"And what it that?" Castiel was having a difficult time catching his breath. Flirty smelled very good and the way he was looking at Castiel made him wonder how anyone ever refused him anything.

The man put a hand through Castiel's hair at the nape of his neck and pulled his face close enough to just barely brush their lips together. "You."

"Dean," he barely breathed out the name when the other man crashed their lips together. His arm tightened around Castiel's waist and his nails dragged over the back of his neck.

Castiel moaned lightly into the kiss and wrapped his arms around Flirty. He returned the kiss and let himself be walked backwards. His back hit the door again and Flirty moved his hands around to Castiel's chest, slipping under his trench coat and suit jacket.

He started pulling Castiel's white shirt out from being tucked in his pants. When he was able to, Flirty slipped a hand under the white shirt and ran it up Castiel's stomach. He broke the kiss to breathe as he put his other hand under the shirt as well.

Castiel let his head fall back against the door. "Dean, I know that you can't help this right now and…"

"Shh," Flirty kissed him briefly, "don't. I'm not doing this just to satisfy an urge or get off. I want you, Cas." He kissed his jaw and let his hands move up to his chest, taking the shirt with them. "I've wanted you for years."

The angel's eyes fluttered shut at the words and the warm feeling spreading through him. "You have?" Castiel moaned as Dean kissed down his neck, gently nipping his skin. "I didn't know."

"Of course you didn't." Flirty switched to kiss the opposite side of his neck while his hands circled to Castiel's back, making the angel arch into his touch. "Dean would never let me tell you, or show you."

Castiel laced his fingers through Flirty's hair and held him in place while he sucked a hickey into his neck. "Dean."

"But I'm gonna show you now, Cas." Flirty moved up to bite Castiel's earlobe. "How much I want you," he kissed his jaw again, "want to kiss you, touch you," he kissed his lips roughly, swiping his tongue along his lower lip, "fuck you."

He shuddered at the words and pulled Flirty in for another kiss. The other man brought his hands out from under Castiel's shirt and cupped his face. He licked along his lips again and Castiel opened his mouth for him. Their tongues slid together and Flirty moaned into the kiss, pressing his hips into Castiel.

The angel growled into the kiss and quickly flipped them, pushing Flirty into the door with a thud. He laughed and slid his arms under the angel's trench coat to pull his hips closer to be able to get some friction. Castiel groaned at the feeling and pressed their foreheads together while Flirty pulled him in to meet his thrusts.

"You like that, angel?" His voice was low and sultry. Castiel moaned and nodded. Flirty was getting hard quickly and he could tell Castiel was too. He shifted a little to get his leg between Castiel's. Both men were able to get more friction that way and moaned loudly at the feeling.

"Dean," Castiel kissed Flirty again, pushing his head into the door. "That feels good."

"Yeah," Flirty licked his lips and grabbed Castiel's belt loops. He guided the angel to the small bed in the room.

When Castiel felt the bed hit the back of his knees, he sat on the edge of the bed. Flirty kneeled between his legs. Castiel was breathing heavily and had a dazed look on his face. Flirty smiled and leaned forward to kiss him briefly.

Flirty started to pull back, but Castiel grabbed him and pulled him in again for a longer kiss. He grabbed his shoulders and tried to pull him up on the bed, but Flirty made a disapproving noise.

"Wait," Flirty pulled away and kneeled back down. He opened Castiel's belt and pants quickly, pulling them and his underwear down to his ankles. Castiel was hard and Flirty licked his lips as he pulled Castiel's legs to move him closer to the edge of the mattress.

He ran his hands up the angel's legs and pushed up to kiss him. As his tongue swiped along Castiel's, he wrapped a hand around his cock.

Castiel moaned and bit Flirty's lip hard as his hand pumped him slowly. "Dean," he couldn't contain the noises he was making and just tried not to grab or bite Flirty too hard.

When Castiel closed his eyes tight and groaned his name, Flirty bent down and swiped his tongue along the head of Castiel's leaking cock. The angel bucked and grabbed his hair in a painfully tight grip.

"Fuck." Castiel loosened his grip but then threw his head back when Flirty wrapped his lips around him and sucked.

Flirty moved quickly and could tell that Castiel was close as his breathing sped up and he groaned louder. He used his right hand to pump the base of Castiel's cock as he licked and sucked on the head.

"Dean," Castiel moaned and gripped the bed sheet with one hand while the other held Flirty's hair. "I can't…"

The other man hummed around his cock and Castiel felt his hips snap forward as he came into Flirty's mouth. His hand slowly moved over his dick as Castiel came.

When he was done, Flirty gently pushed him to lie back on the bed. Castiel went willingly, too blissed out to protest. Flirty climbed on top of him, straddling him. He leaned down to kiss the angel and thrusted his hips down into him.

Castiel groaned and wrapped his arms around Flirty, pressing their bodies together. He could feel the other man's erection and moved a hand down to palm him over his jeans. Flirty sighed into their kiss.

"Cas," he put his hands on the bed and pushed into Castiel's hand.

The angel unbuttoned his jeans and slipped his hand inside. He reached through his boxers and took his aching cock into his hand. Flirty's head dropped to Castiel's shoulder as he moaned.

"Yeah, that's it." He kissed Castiel's neck as he fucked his hand. "So good, Cas."

Castiel ran his thumb over Flirty's leaking slit and felt his hips stutter. He did it again and the other man moaned in his ear.

Flirty moved his hips harder into Castiel's hand and moved his head to kiss the angel's lips. It only took a couple more thrusts for him to come with a groan. He stilled his hips as he came over Castiel's slowly moving hand.

"Fuck me," Flirty whispered before kissing Castiel hard.

The angel chuckled. "Maybe next time."

They both laughed. "Cas."

They shared another kiss before Flirty moved off and straightened his clothing. He helped Castiel redress and look somewhat presentable. He was fixing the angel's tie when he fully realized what just happened. Dean was gonna be pissed.

Castiel seemed to see what he was thinking. "You are Dean." He took his face in his hands. "He might only be angry that he waited so long."

Flirty smirked. "I'll make sure he remembers everything that just happened, and how bad you wanted it." He kissed Castiel gently.

The angel laughed. "I believe you wanted it a lot more than me."

"You sure?" Flirty wriggled his eyebrows.

Castiel smiled. "I should get back out there." He had been waiting for someone to come looking for him, and was glad that hadn't happened.

"Yeah, go be the guardian." Flirty took a step back.

Castiel turned to leave but jumped when he felt a sharp slap on the ass. He looked back at a smirking Flirty. "Hey."

"I had to do it at least once, while I could." He grinned a toothy grin before crossing his arms.

Castiel shook his head before leaving the room slowly. He didn't see anyone in the hallway and sighed in relief. Nobody should've missed his presence. He took a few steps down the hall when he saw someone in the library.

Nerd was sitting at a table looking through a box of files. He hadn't noticed Castiel yet. The angel slowly approached, hoping to appear casual. Nerd looked up eventually and smiled tightly before looking back at the files.

"I believe Dean told everyone to stay in their rooms." Castiel stopped beside the table.

Nerd huffed as he flipped a page over. "I don't think he'll care what I do. Besides, Dick is roaming around like he owns the place and Happy has gone in and out several times since I've been here."

"What?" Castiel looked behind him and down the hall. He hadn't been a good watch, but he'd been distracted.

"Yeah, good looking out." Nerd sat back and stretched his sore back. "Where were you?"

"Just walking around." Castiel could tell it sounded like a lie and felt himself blink several times.

"Around where? I didn't see you." Nerd wasn't accusing anything but seemed curious.

"Just around."

"Did you come out of a bedroom? I thought I heard one of the doors. I had assumed it was Happy again or Flirty to make trouble." He smiled at Castiel but seemed to notice something as the angel paused too long. "What were you doing, Cas?"

"Nothing. I wasn't doing anything." Castiel cleared his throat and looked at the table.

Nerd stood up. "You know, you blink a lot when you're lying." He leaned on the table to study the angel closer.

"I'm not…" Castiel felt himself blink a couple times.

"Whose bedroom were you in?" Castiel's eyes darted around as he tried to decide what would be the best answer. It clicked then. "Oh my god. Were you with Flirty?"

Castiel looked at Nerd and swallowed. "No." It came out sounding more like a question.

"You were." He sighed heavily. "What did he do?"

Images flashed through his mind and he had to look away as his face grew warm.

"Are you blushing, Cas?" Nerd smiled and tried to follow the angel's eyes as he looked away. "Fuck me, you had sex!"

His head snapped up. "No we didn't."

Nerd gave him a disbelieving look. "Really?" Castiel nodded. "But something happened."

Castiel considered lying but decided against it. "Please don't tell anyone. I don't want to upset Dean."

Nerd rolled his eyes. "I won't tell anyone. I just can't believe it. Not even a day and that bastard finally got what he wanted."

Castiel was going to ask what he meant, but was cut off by someone calling his name. He turned to see Dick approaching.

"I've been looking for you." Dick stopped at the top of the stairs. "I need to talk to you."

"Okay." Castiel followed Dick away from the library.

"It's about Dean. We need to move him somewhere that we can protect him easier. I've found a couple good spots, but I wanted to see what you thought would be best."

"I think Dean is fine where he is." They stopped in the hall of bedrooms. "He has a lot of people watching him."

"What about when that thing shows up? You think he'll be safe just walking around in the open?" Dick was getting irritated.

"When that happens, we'll protect him."

"I don't think you understand."

"I understand perfectly. I've dealt with this thing before and I know I can handle it." Castiel raised his voice slightly, as did Dick.

"He's changed a lot since you dealt with him. We've all had to fight very hard to keep that thing hidden. It's gotten much worse and it won't listen to anyone or anything."

"I'm an angel. I don't scare easy." Castiel moved closer to Dick, irritated now himself.

"This thing might do the trick, angel." He threw the last word like an insult. "That thing is getting close. I can feel it."

Castiel furrowed his brows. "How?"

"I don't know. I just can. I sense danger long before anyone else and I know it is close to getting here."

"Okay, but we're not moving Dean."

"Then I'm going in," he reached for the doorknob of Dean's room.

"No," Castiel grabbed his hand. Dick pulled his hand back and almost pushed Castiel before thinking better of it. "He's asleep."

"Something could get in there."

"They'd have to get in the bunker first and then come through this door. He's fine."

"Then I'll stay here." Dick moved to stand in front of the door. He crossed his arms and glared straight ahead.

"You don't have to do that." Castiel could imagine how annoyed Dean would be when he opened his door and saw Dick standing there.

"Yes I do. It's what I do."

Castiel could tell he wouldn't be able to change his mind. "Fine, just don't go in the room."

A door opened near them and Castiel turned to see Happy peeking out. He smiled at him. "Hi."

Happy opened the door. "You guys okay? We could hear shouting."

"We're fine. Sorry to bother you guys." Castiel stepped closer to the room. He heard sniffing and looked inside to see Sad Sack sitting on the bed with red eyes and chewing on his fingernails.

"It's okay." Happy glanced at the other man. "He was just getting upset."

Castiel felt a stab of shame as he saw how upset Sad Sack was. He entered the room slowly and walked to the bed. The man looked up and smiled sadly.

"Were you guys fighting?" His voice cracked a couple times like he was trying hard not to cry.

Castiel knelt in front of him to be below his eye level. "No, we were just having a disagreement about how to protect Dean. You know how Dick is."

Sad Sack laughed in what sounded more like a sob. "Yeah, he likes to argue and fight. I just don't want anyone to fight." Tears filled his eyes and his breathing hitched a few times.

"It's okay. We're going to fix this, I promise. Everything is going to be okay." Castiel put a hand on the man's arm.

"That's what I've been telling him." Happy was standing behind Castiel.

"That's almost all you ever say." Sad Sack rolled his eyes.

"It's true." Castiel squeezed his arm. "No matter what it takes, we'll fix this."

Sad Sack smiled and nodded. A tear ran down his cheek. He took a deep breath and seemed to calm down some. "Thanks, Cas."

"You're welcome." He stood and wrapped the man in a hug. After tensing briefly at first, Sad Sack relaxed into the hug and returned it.

Castiel released him and left after getting a shoulder pat from Happy. He reached the door when he heard Dean shout from the other side.

"Jesus! What are you doing?"

The angel entered the hall to see Dick and Dean facing each other, Dean looking extremely angry.

"Were you just standing here like a creep the whole time I slept?"

"No, but I should have. We need to make sure you stay safe."

"Do you ever say anything else?" Dean noticed Castiel approaching. "Cas, what is this?"

"He insisted on standing there. I had to talk him out of standing in the room while you slept."

"Ugh!" Dean pushed Dick aside and walked down the hall. "I'm surrounded by freaks."

Castiel made Dick stay back and followed Dean as he walked to the kitchen to make coffee. He was yawning when he entered the room. It's then that the youthful appearance really hit Castiel. He didn't know Dean when he was this young. His disheveled hair and tight black t-shirt made him look even younger. It was like looking at a stranger that you somehow knew very well.

"How long have I been asleep?" He rubbed his eyes while he talked.

"Several hours."

Dean nodded. "And Sam?"

"He went to sleep shortly after you and hasn't come out yet."

"Good." He poured a cup of coffee and sat at the kitchen table. Castiel sat across from him. He took a drink before talking again. "Any revelations while I was out?"

Castiel thought of him and what Flirty said, but he knew that's not what he was talking about. "Unfortunately, no."

"Great." Dean took another drink. "Anyone give you any trouble?"

He cleared his throat and shifted in his chair. "No." If Dean thought he was acting weird, he didn't let it show as he just nodded.

"Cas, do you think it's possible that my soul will just go back together when everyone is in the same place?"

Castiel doubted it but he wasn't sure. "Maybe. I don't know."

Dean stared at his coffee and bit his lip. "Do you think it would be possible to put everyone back together without the last guy?"

His heart dropped. "No. It's a part of you. You need everything to be you again."

"I was me before him. I can still be me without him." He was still looking at his coffee.

"Dean, I'd love nothing more than to keep that pain from you, but it's not possible." Castiel reached out for Dean before he could stop his hand. He grabbed Dean's wrist. Dean looked at him with so much emotion that Castiel had to fight hard to not kiss him. "It's what makes you you. Everyone has good and bad."

Dean looked away and gently pulled his hands away to finish his coffee. "I figured as much." He pushed his chair back and stood up to put his cup back by the coffeepot. "Do you think we should tell Sam what's coming?"

Castiel stood and shrugged. "I don't know. It's your call. I'm not sure if telling him would be helpful or not."

They never got the chance to decide as loud banging echoed from the door. Dean looked up and Castiel saw him start to shake. They shared a short look before running to the front room. Everyone was already there. Sam had woken up right before the knock.

Everyone turned to look at Dean as a loud bang sounded followed by scratching sounds like nails on a chalkboard. He swallowed and tried to not look as scared as he felt.

A scream sounded outside the door that sounded vaguely like Dean but it had another pitch to it that sent an icy dread through everyone in the bunker. Sad Sack had retreated to a corner, dropping to the floor. His knees were pulled up to his chest and his hands were in his hair as he began to sob in terror.

Happy wasn't smiling. Flirty looked serious for once. Dick pulled out a knife that no one knew he had and moved to stand in front of Dean. Nerd moved to stand beside Dick. Flirty took the other side of Dick. Happy tried to console Sad Sack.

Sam listened to the second scream and began to get an inkling of why everyone was so worried about this guy. He watched some of the Deans gather around his brother and decided he would see what they were dealing with. He'd only taken a couple steps when several of the Deans yelled at him to stop.

"Cas," Dick looked at him, "you should let him in."

Castiel nodded in agreement. "Sam, help them." He walked by Sam on his way to the stairs. He waited on the balcony until Sam was standing by Dick, forming a strong line in front of Dean.

Scratching on the door started again and Castiel moved to open the door. He braced himself. The scratching stopped when he touched the knob, like he could sense it. He threw the door open and faced Dean's final piece.

What he saw still shocked him. It was Dean but radically different. His hair was mostly white with silver streaks and a couple streaks of his natural color. His eyes were mostly white, but the green irises were just barely visible beneath them. His skin was pale and seemed fragile.

There was a gaping hole in his cheek that looked like it had been ripped off. The tip of his nose was gone, like it had rotted away. His lips and chin were covered in blood that seemed fresh. The shirt he was wearing was also soaked in blood, some dry, some fresh. He was holding a huge knife that was dripping blood in elongated hands and fingers that ended in sharp points.

His head tilted as he stared at Castiel. He didn't blink and sneered when he recognized the angel. He opened his mouth and shrieked loud enough to shake the walls. Castiel got a glimpse of his teeth that were sharpened like the teeth of a shark and covered in blood.

Castiel stood his ground and wouldn't let the thing intimidate him. In a move faster than was humanly possible, the thing launched forward and shoved Castiel as he screamed. The force was so strong that Castiel hit the balcony rail and flipped over it. He landed on the level below with a crunch.

He heard his name called by everyone in the room. His bones cracked as he pushed up and they healed themselves. Sam appeared next to him and helped him stand.

"Cas, are you okay?" Sam's face was pale and Castiel could smell the terror coming off of him.

Castiel glanced up and grabbed Sam. He forced the man behind him with a powerful shove.

Sam looked up and saw the newest arrival jump from the balcony rail. He landed on his feet right where Sam had been standing. The sight made Sam feel faint. It was Dean but nothing like his brother.

Dean felt sick when he finally saw the part of himself he'd been dreading. All the others surrounded him and had moved closer when Castiel fell. Even Sad Sack and Happy were standing behind him and holding onto him.

Castiel shielded Sam from the demonic Dean. The thing smiled and hunched his back before letting out another scream. He heard Sam made a choked sound. Castiel kept his eyes on the demon. It seemed amused by Castiel's bravery.

Sad Sack sobbed loudly, attracting its attention. He turned his head sharply and seemed to see Dean for the first time. It faced the men and slowly advanced on them.

Castiel ran and grabbed the demon. It shouted and swung an arm out to hit him. Castiel ducked and punched it in the side.

It growled in anger and rushed for Castiel. Sam stumbled out of the way as Castiel ran backwards. He didn't want to turn his back on the demon.

Flirty grabbed Sam and pushed him into the circle with Dean. They watched as Castiel avoided the demon and pushed him away from the circle.

At one point the demon hit Castiel hard enough to knock him to the ground. He then focused on the circle again. Dick stepped forward and managed to punch him once before being tossed aside.

Sam pushed Dean behind him. As scared as he was, Dean was more important. He was about to make a move when Castiel flew to intercept the demon. The whole circle retreated as Castiel stared at the demon.

"Stop." Castiel used a commanding tone that would've worked on any normal person. The demon growled and gripped his knife tighter. "Stop!" Castiel put some grace in that command, making the demon falter slightly.

Dick had gotten himself off the floor and was waiting for a chance to attack again. Castiel continued to stare at the demon. It moved closer, growling deep in its throat. It was close enough that they were almost touching.

"Get back!" Castiel yelled. The demon shouted. "GET BACK!" Castiel began to manifest his wings, making the demon flinch. He bared his teeth and snapped them at the angel. Castiel glared.

It was then that Dick took his chance and slashed the demon's arm. It screamed and turned to attack. Castiel used that moment to wrap his arms around the demon and then disappeared.


	4. Chapter 4

They could still hear the shouting but it was much farther away. Dick started for the sound. Sam and Dean made to follow, but Dick turned. "No, only Sam."

The others held onto Dean while Sam and Dick ran to find the other two. Sam followed Dick, as he seemed to know where Castiel was. They ended up in the dungeon.

Dick knocked on the door. "Cas?"

"You can come in." Castiel shouted from inside.

They entered and found Castiel inside with a trapped demonic Dean. He was inside a circle of Enochian sigils. Dick looked them over with approval. "Nice."

"They were the only things that could hold him." The demon was pacing in front of them looking angrier than before. "The devil's trap didn't work since he's technically human."

Sam was standing back from the others. He watched the demon pace. He got an eerie feeling that it was watching him. He turned and jumped when he saw the bloody knife the demon had been holding stuck in the wall by his head. He must've thrown it at Castiel in an attempt to kill him.

Sam jumped again when a hand landed on his shoulder. "You alright, Sammy?" Dick looked concerned for the first time since he arrived.

"Yeah, I just need a minute." Dick clapped his shoulder a couple times and left the room. Sam looked at the demon again. He was watching him with an amused smile and not moving except to trace his teeth with his blood soaked tongue.

Castiel blocked him from his view. "Sam, maybe we should leave."

Sam nodded but made no move to leave the room. "What is that, Cas?"

"You haven't figured it out?"

Sam couldn't even shake his head. He had a good idea, but he was hoping he was wrong. Castiel sighed.

"This is the part of Dean that formed while he was in Hell. The demon that was forming while he was torturing souls." Castiel glanced back and the demon tilted his head as if listening. "It was the first thing I saw of your brother."

Sam huffed out a laugh. "Why did you save him?" Seeing that, Sam would've thought Dean was completely gone.

"I had to, and I could see glimpses of the others still in there. It wasn't all this." He waved a hand at the demon.

Demonic Dean crouched and seemed to study the sigils and looked around the room. His movements reminded Sam of a bird. Nothing human came through and it was freaking Sam out. "Let's go."

As they walked away, the demon screamed and scratched at the floor. Sam walked faster.

"Why didn't Dean tell me about this?" Sam leaned against the tiled wall and tried to calm down. The demon's shrieks echoed throughout the bunker and he doubted it would stop.

"We didn't know if it would've mattered when you were finally faced with it."

"Cas, he can't take that thing back into himself. It'll kill him." Sam could understand why everyone had been acting so weird about this now. He would never want Dean to deal with that demon again.

"He's been dealing with it since I rescued him. It won't kill him if we can get them back together."

Sam ran a hand through his hair. "Like we even know how to do that. How long will that trap hold him?"

Castiel shook his head. "I'm not sure. Probably not too long."

Dick jogged down the hall back to them. "Hey, someone needs to go back up there. Dean is throwing a fit and everyone else is a mess."

"I'll go." Sam pushed off the wall. "Cas should stay here to guard the room."

"Agreed." Dick nodded. Sam walked up the hall, relieved to get away from the demonic version of his brother.

Castiel looked at Dick. "So, should we take shifts to keep an eye on him? That trap won't hold forever and Dean needs to be safe."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll take the first one. You go help Sam keep Dean in line." He opened the door as Castiel started down the hall. He heard him tell the demon to shut up when it shrieked at him.

* * *

When Castiel reached the main room again, he could hear a lot of talking. Sam was trying to calm them down, but no one seemed to be listening. Dean was arguing about what he should do, Nerd was arguing the opposite point, Flirty was trying to get them both to shut up, while Happy and Sad Sack stayed together by the wall. Sad Sack was still hysterical and Happy did his best to comfort him. Sam was in the middle with an exasperated expression.

Dean saw Castiel first and pushed by Nerd to get to him. "Cas, will you please tell them that I'm fine and let me see what's happening?"

"No, Dean," he shook his head as Dean crossed his arms, "you're not safe to be any closer to that thing than you are now."

"That's exactly what I said." Nerd piped up from behind Dean.

"I don't want your opinion, Nerd." Dean turned to look at him. "I'm talking to Cas." He looked back at the angel. "I just need to see him, please."

"No." Castiel looked at Sam as Dean started protesting. Sam still looked pale and seemed distracted by the sounds coming up from the dungeon. Dean was still talking so Castiel cut him off. "You need to stay here. All of you should go back to your rooms."

He looked around at all the Deans. The only ones that seemed to want to protest were Nerd and Dean. When they made to talk, Castiel raised a hand. "I'm not listening to another word. Everyone go to your rooms."

There was a lot of grumbling, but they all headed for the hallway. Castiel stepped closer to Sam. "If you need to take some time, you can."

Sam shook his head. "No, I'm fine. I'll keep looking to see if there's anything about putting a scattered soul back together." He walked off to the library slowly.

Castiel turned and watched all the Deans enter their rooms. He kept watch and listened for anything strange in their rooms.

* * *

An hour had passed with no problems and no sound but the continued shouts of the demon. Castiel could see the toll it was taking on Sam, who kept fidgeting in his chair and flinching when the shouting started. He was going to say something when Dick came down the hall to switch their duties.

Castiel met Dick by Dean's door. "Keep an eye on Sam. He doesn't seem to be handling this well."

Dick glanced at Sam in worry and nodded. "No problem, Cas."

Castiel left Dick to guard Dean's door and made his way to the dungeon. He entered the room and found the demon sitting in the middle of the trap. It looked up at him as he moved closer, but made no move to stand. His eyes followed Castiel as he moved around the room. He sat at the table near the trap.

The demon didn't look away for a couple minutes. He then stood and walked to the edge of the trap and put a hand up to test the edge. When he couldn't get through, he screamed in frustration and then moved to sit back down and watch Castiel.

It repeated this cycle for close to an hour. Towards the end, it would just scream where it sat and then smile as if it knew the tension that sound caused for Dean and Sam.

Castiel was so focused on the demon that he didn't realize someone was opening the door until the demon stood suddenly and faced the door. He turned and saw Dean enter slowly.

"What are you doing here?" Castiel stood and ran over to Dean.

"I had to see him." He seemed shaky but didn't look away from the demon's glare.

"Did Dick let you come?" Castiel doubted it.

Dean looked at the angel and smiled. "No. He still thinks I'm locked in my room."

"He locked you in?" Castiel hadn't done that before leaving.

"After I tried to sneak by him a few times, yeah."

"How did you get out?"

"I still know a few tricks," Dean smirked, "even without my full brain." He looked over Castiel's shoulder and his smile fell. "I just need to look at him, Cas."

Dean took a step forward, but Castiel put a hand on his chest and stopped him. "No, you shouldn't."

"He's trapped." Dean pointed to the sigils. "Besides, you're here. I'll be fine."

"I don't think it's a good idea."

"Please." Dean pleaded with his eyes. "One minute is all I ask."

Castiel really didn't want to let him do this, but he didn't think it would be easy to stop Dean either. He dropped his hand. "Fine, but one minute is all and then I'm taking you back."

Dean nodded. Castiel stepped out of the way. The demon was standing at the edge of the trap with an intrigued look on his face. Dean took a few steps closer and Castiel moved to stand behind him.

The demon growled as Dean got closer. Castiel grabbed the back of Dean's shirt. He wanted to be able to move Dean quickly if the trap failed.

"Cas, you don't have to hold onto me." Dean kept his eyes on the demon as he talked.

"I will." Castiel wasn't letting him get that close without Castiel feeling somewhat secure in his ability to move him out of the way.

"Fine, but could it not be my shirt?" The feeling of the fabric pulling made Dean nervous.

Castiel released his shirt and moved closer to hold his upper arm. He would've held his hand, but he didn't think that would make Dean feel better.

Dean rolled his eyes as Castiel held his arm. It wasn't much better, but he did appreciate the feeling of safety it gave him as he faced the demonic part of his soul. He finally studied its appearance, and it seemed to be doing the same to him.

After a couple moments, the demon tested the barrier of the trap again with a shriek. The move made Dean jump back. He would've fallen if Castiel wasn't holding his arm.

The demon laughed as Dean regained his footing. Castiel used his free arm and punched the demon in the jaw. It had enough force to knock the demon back a couple steps.

"Let's go." Castiel pulled Dean away as the demon continued to laugh.

Castiel shut the door to the dungeon behind them as the demon started screaming again. He let go of Dean and let him take a couple breaths. "Are you okay?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, fine."

"You sure?"

He shook his head slightly. "No." He laughed lightly. "I don't want that thing back, Cas."

"I know, but you have to." Castiel raised a hand towards Dean, but he turned away from him.

"Did you see all that blood? How many people do you think he killed before he got here?" He pulled his arms in to hug himself as he thought about it. "How much did they suffer just because he enjoys that?"

"Dean, you can't think about that."

"Why not? It's my fault."

"No, it's not." Castiel walked around Dean to look him in the eye. "Nothing that thing did is your fault."

"Yes it is." Dean looked at him with the beginning of tears in his eyes. "It's because of me that that thing came into existence. If I hadn't made a deal, gone to Hell, and then made the choice to start torturing souls, he wouldn't exist. Everything he does is on me."

Castiel grabbed Dean's shoulders. "You can't blame yourself. You fight him every day and you keep him from controlling you. Most people wouldn't have the strength for that. You aren't responsible for his actions when you're not able to control him."

Dean shook his head and stepped out of Castiel's hold. "Let's go back before Dick's head explodes when he finds out I'm gone."

Castiel nodded and flew them back into Dean's locked room. He unlocked it and faced a surprised Dick. He was a little angry when Castiel told him what happened, but he gladly left for the dungeon to take his turn as guard. He'd also told him that Sam had retreated to his room with his laptop muttering about researching alone.

Castiel closed the door and locked it again from the outside as he remained inside with Dean. "Don't worry, Cas. I'm not going back out again." Dean sat on his bed, resting his head on the wall.

"I know." He moved closer to the bed. "I don't want to leave you alone right now."

Dean chuckled. "What are you afraid of?"

"The way you're talking about yourself." Castiel sat on the end of the bed by Dean's feet.

"I'm just telling the truth. I'm responsible for that demon existing and I don't want to take it back into myself."

"You can't stay separated."

"Why not? I think most of myself functions pretty well apart." Dean shrugged. "I say we just kill that demon and let the rest of us live as we are."

Castiel frowned. "I guess that's an option, as long as you're ready to live the rest of your life in this bunker."

"What?"

"You wouldn't be able to hunt, Dean. You're extremely vulnerable. You'd have no survival instinct alone, no deep reasoning skills, and no empathy. It would be very easy for anyone to kill you."

Dean sighed. "Great." He tilted his head up to look at the ceiling, jumping when the demon's scream echoed in the bunker again. "There is always another way. A way to make sure that monster is gone forever, to end all of this."

Castiel's eyes widened. "Dean…" A knock on the door cut off his response. He unlocked it and opened the door to find Happy.

"Can I come in?" He clutched his hands together and bobbed on the balls of his feet.

"Sure." Castiel moved out of the way to let the man inside.

Dean groaned. "I really don't want to deal with this guy right now."

Happy ignored him and looked at Castiel. "I wanted to ask if it was possible for you to talk to Sad Sack again. He's really not handling all of this very well and I don't know what to do anymore."

"Well, I don't know if I should leave Dean right now." Given what he just said, he didn't want to leave Dean alone at all until this problem was fixed.

"I know, but you helped him so much last time and he's asking for you."

Dean leaned forward on his bed. "When did you talk to him earlier?"

They both ignored him. "I'm not sure what I could do to help."

Happy shrugged. "Just talk to him. You're really good at calming us down, Cas. You always know the right thing to say."

"I don't know about that."

"You do!" Happy reached out and grabbed Castiel's arm. "Whatever we need to hear at that moment tends to be what you say." He could see Castiel coming around. "Please?"

Castiel sighed. He couldn't say no to him when his eyes were shining with so much hope and affection. "Alright, I'll talk to him." He looked at Dean, who was watching them with a strange expression. "As long as Dean comes too."

Happy looked at Dean. He really wasn't interested in dealing with the panicking part of himself, but Castiel wasn't going to let him stay. "Fine."

"Thank you." Happy smiled brightly and gripped Castiel tight. "Thank you so much." He laughed briefly and jumped forward and pressed his lips to Castiel's in a sweet kiss.

Castiel was surprised but didn't pull away from it. He heard Dean say something and stand up, but he didn't understand the words as Happy loosened his grip on his arm and gently rubbed his shoulder.

The next thing Castiel knew, Happy was being pulled away by an angry Dean. "What do you think you're doing?!"

Happy was taken aback. "What? I thought it was okay to do that now." His eyes were wide as he looked between Dean and Castiel.

"No," Dean shook his head, "that's not okay. What's wrong with you?"

The reaction disheartened Castiel slightly but he didn't have time to think about it as Dean grabbed him and led him out of the room. He heard Dean apologizing.

"Don't," Castiel pulled his arm out of Dean's hold, "he was just happy and wanted to express it. I don't have a problem with what happened." He said the last sentence as Happy approached and saw him relax. Dean looked shocked but Castiel turned away and entered the room across the hall where Sad Sack was waiting.

Castiel felt a stab of sadness when he saw the man. He was sitting on the bed with his knees pulled up to his chest, his hands weaved through his hair as he rocked back and forth sobbing. He sat on the bed beside him, making him flinch.

"Dean," Castiel tried to look at his face, but he had his head hidden by his knees.

Sad Sack shook his head. "I can't take it anymore, Cas." He sobbed a couple times. "Before, everything was dulled, but now," he gripped his hair tighter, "it's too much."

Castiel glanced back and saw Dean hovering in the doorway, a concerned look on his face. He faced the crying man again and gently touched his knee. "I'm sorry. I wish you didn't have to feel this so much."

Another scream made him shake and he covered his ears with his hands and screamed himself. "I can't take it!"

Castiel took hold of the man's arms and pulled him closer. He resisted at first, but then shifted his legs so he was sitting on them and let Castiel pull him into a hug. Sad Sack clutched at Castiel's coat and cried. The angel just held him and rubbed his back gently.

"I'm so scared, Cas. I don't want to deal with this anymore. That thing in the dungeon is too strong. He'll kill all of us."

"No he won't. I'll protect you." He looked at Dean in the doorway, Happy watching behind him. "I won't let anything happen to you."

"What if he gets loose?"

"I'll be here. Sam is here." He turned back to Sad Sack and pulled him back so he could see his face. "You can't give up, Dean. No matter what happens, you have to keep fighting."

His face scrunched up slightly as he fought back tears. "I'm not strong enough."

"Bullshit." Castiel held his gaze. "You are more than strong enough. If you ever think you're not, know that you have family here to help and protect you."

He sniffed and nodded. "Thanks, Cas."

Dean was still standing in the doorway and he couldn't bring himself to move closer. He couldn't think of how many times he'd had this internal conversation with himself before. Seeing it happen in the flesh hit him stronger than he imagined possible. Seeing Castiel speak so strongly for him made him swell with happiness.

"We're going to fix this. I promise." Castiel gave the crying man a small smile. He nodded again and leaned his head forward to rest their foreheads together. His hands were still holding the front of his coat and Castiel rubbed his back again gently.

Sad Sack seemed to even his breathing and nudged his nose against Castiel's. The angel tilted his head slightly and the other man pressed forward and kissed him. It was much more desperate than the last kiss Castiel had gotten. The man pulled Castiel closer by his coat and sucked on his lower lip. Castiel returned it without thought and hugged him closer.

Dean felt his mouth fall open in shock as yet another version of himself kissed Castiel. He ran forward and was about to grab Sad Sack when Happy stopped him with a tug on his shirt.

"Leave him." Happy took a step back when Dean rounded on him. "I think Cas can decide if he doesn't want to kiss someone."

Castiel pulled back when he heard Happy speak. Sad Sack stopped too and sat back on the mattress. They both looked at Dean as he turned to face them again, irritation clear on his face. The angel looked back at the man on the bed.

"Don't worry about anything. Sam and I will make sure nothing happens to you." He smiled as Sad Sack smiled and stood to leave. He ignored Dean and left the room, knowing he would follow.

"What the hell was that?" Dean was getting angrier by the second. First Happy kissed Castiel, then Sad Sack, and now Castiel seemed to be mad at him and ignoring him. "Did I miss something while I was asleep?"

Castiel turned to face Dean and debated telling him what had happened, but just shook his head. "Don't you think you should be more concerned with fixing this soul problem than worrying about who kisses who?"

"I'm just confused. I expected something like this from Flirty, but…" Dean opened his arms helplessly. "You're okay with what's happening?"

Castiel debated how best to answer that. He didn't want to tell Dean the extent of his feelings, knowing he would see some of it when he remembered what happened with Flirty, but he didn't want to lie either. "Why are you so angry about it?"

"I'm not angry." Dean struggled with how to explain what he was feeling. He wasn't angry, but he didn't like the other Deans kissing Castiel. It couldn't be that he was jealous, could it? He never got a chance to finish his thought as Nerd opened his door.

"Hey, I need to talk to Cas." He was oblivious to what they'd been talking about and was reading a magazine as he waited in the doorway.

Dean looked at him in exasperation. "What, you want to make out with him too? Take a number." It came out rougher than he meant.

Nerd looked up in surprise. "What?" He looked between the two of them in confusion. "What's wrong with you?"

"He's just tired," Castiel lied and walked away from Dean. "What is it?" He entered Nerd's room. Dean followed.

"Well," Nerd was watching them cautiously, "I think we've exhausted all the books in the library and we've come up with nothing that can fix this."

Dean sighed. "Fantastic."

"But I was hoping you might have some idea of how to fix this." Nerd looked at Castiel.

Castiel shook his head. "I don't know how this happened or how to fix it."

"But is it possible that you could do something like this if you wanted to?"

Castiel considered that for a minute. He could see how an angel could do something like this and what it would take. "I suppose."

"Then, would you know how it might be possible to fix it?" Nerd was watching him intently.

"I could imagine some possible ways that an angel might try to fix this, but…" Dean cut him off.

"You couldn't bring this up before?" He felt like that was an important piece of information.

Castiel looked at Dean with a raised brow. "Without knowing for sure if an angel was responsible or not, it seemed better to search for another solution."

"But, you think you might be able to fix it?" Nerd asked.

The angel shrugged. "I could try." The other men nodded and Castiel put a hand on both of their chests and focused. He could feel the one soul from both of them, wanting to go back together. He tried to get them to do so but he seemed to hit a wall telepathically and pulled his hands back in frustration.

"What happened?" Nerd was studying his face.

Castiel shook his head. "I can't do it. It was like something was blocking me."

"Like whoever did it was preventing you from fixing it?" Dean asked. He had felt a slight tugging in his mind but only for a slight moment.

"No, it didn't feel that way. It was strange."

Nerd crossed his arms. "Maybe you need both parties to want to be put back together for it to work."

They both looked at Nerd. Castiel tilted his head slightly. "Do you not want to be put back?"

He laughed lightly. "Are you kidding? Of course I don't want to give up my freedom. I can finally say whatever I want, do whatever I want. Why the hell would I go back to where I'll be shoved down and silenced?"

"Why did you even let him try then?" Dean felt frustration bubble up as he spoke. He wanted this nightmare to be over.

"I wanted to see if it would work."

"So we just need to try with someone that wants to join back up." Castiel thought he might be able to bring the pieces of Dean's soul back together if he had two willing subjects.

"Fine." Dean left the room without waiting to see if Castiel would follow.

Nerd looked at Castiel once Dean was gone. "Let me know if it works."

Castiel and Dean moved down the hall and stopped by Flirty's door. Castiel was hesitant to knock, given what happened the last time they were alone together. Dean knocked for him.

Flirty opened the door and leaned against the doorframe. "Hi guys. How can I help you?"

Dean talked when Castiel hesitated. "We might have a way to fix this problem."

"Really?" Flirty looked Castiel up and down before looking at Dean. "Why is that news not causing you to jump for joy?"

"Because when we tried it on Nerd, it didn't work." Dean bristled at the looks Flirty kept giving Castiel. The angel was avoiding eye contact with him.

"Then I don't think you found the answer." Flirty chuckled and moved to close the door.

"Let us try with you to see for sure."

Flirty paused in closing the door. "Why?"

"What do you mean 'why'?"

"Why should I? I don't want to go back to the way it was."

Castiel looked up then. "None of you can function properly apart. You need to be back together."

"I think I function well enough, don't you?" Flirty smirked at Castiel.

Dean looked between them and rolled his eyes. He could practically feel another surprise kiss coming. "Nevermind." Dean shoved Flirty back with a hand on the chest and closed his door. "Let's try the next one."

They moved to the next room. Happy let them in. Sad Sack was sitting quietly on the bed. They explained what they were trying and why it hadn't worked yet.

Happy shrugged. "I don't think it'll work with me then either."

"What?" Dean wasn't expecting that.

"I like being out. I don't really want to be put back either." He smiled sadly and moved to sit by Sad Sack.

"Great," Dean turned to Castiel, "we can't find one of them that wants to be fixed."

"I do." Sad Sack had stood from the bed. He moved closer to the pair, eyes desperate. "Please, I don't want this anymore. It's better when we're together."

Dean looked at the depressed version of himself and wished that he could take in any other aspect over this one, but beggars can't be choosers. "You're sure?" Sad Sack nodded. "Okay, Cas, give it a try."

Castiel stood between them and put a hand on each of them. He concentrated and reached out to them. He could feel their pieces reaching toward each other but it still wasn't enough. He tried to push it, but got lightheaded and had to stop.

"Cas!" Dean saw blood drip from the angel's nose and put his arms out just as Castiel's legs gave out and he fell.

Happy and Sad Sack helped him move Castiel to sit on the bed. He hadn't lost consciousness but he was disoriented.

"It won't work, Dean." Castiel shook his head, pain pounding in his temples from the movement. "Even with you both wanting it, it won't work."

Happy brought Dean a tissue for Castiel. Dean took it and wiped the blood from the angel's face. "Its okay, Cas. We'll figure something out."

* * *

They went back to Nerd when Castiel felt normal again and told him what happened. He thought about it briefly.

"Maybe it won't work unless all the pieces want it and try to go back at the same time."

Dean snorted. "No problem. Let's just go try to convince the psycho in the dungeon that he should want to be in prison."

Nerd glared at Dean. "Obviously it wouldn't be easy."

"That might be the answer in theory but Dean's right." Castiel crossed his arms with a frown. "There's no way that demon will want any part of it. He'd rather kill you all first."

"So we're back where we started?" Dean was getting frustrated and wished he could just wake up from this nightmare.

"Seems like it." Nerd was more upset that his solution hadn't seemed to work. Of course, now he could keep trying to solve the puzzle.

Castiel left the room without a word. He felt like he'd failed Dean. He was so close with Sad Sack but he wasn't strong enough to fix this. Dean had followed him to the hallway and was about to speak so Castiel spoke first.

"You should talk to Sam. Let him know what's going on and see if you can help him feel more calm about everything."

Dean nodded. He definitely needed to do that, but Castiel was worrying him. "You alright?"

"I'm fine. Just go talk to Sam." Castiel walked away with no destination in mind. He heard Dean knock on Sam's door as he rounded the corner to a hall that lead to the

kitchen.

* * *

He wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting at the kitchen table, but the demon had screamed a couple dozen times and Castiel could tell it was getting more agitated. When it finally escaped, it would be hard to stop or trap again.

Slow shuffling footsteps alerted him to the man's presence before he made it to the kitchen. He sat up straight when he reached the doorway.

"Hey, Cas."

Castiel glanced back to look at Happy. "Hello."

"What are you doing?" He moved to sit across from Castiel.

"Just thinking. What's happening out there?"

Happy huffed out a laugh. "Sam and Dean and trying to talk the others into wanting to all join up."

"How's Sam?" He had been really worried about the younger Winchester.

"Seems more like himself. He's determined to help Dean." He smiled fondly.

"Good. I just wish I could do something." Castiel shook his head and kept his focus on the table.

Happy frowned. "You are doing something. You're doing what you always do: watching over us."

Castiel laughed and leaned back in his chair. "Yeah, and what a great job I've been doing."

"Hey," Happy reached over the table and took Castiel's hand, "you're doing everything you can. I'm really glad you're here. We all are."

He had flashes of his incident with Flirty. "I'm sure."

Happy furrowed his brows. "Why are you so sad?"

"I just feel helpless and confused."

"About what?"

Castiel looked Happy in the eye and wondered what he knew about Flirty's feelings. He guessed a lot since he'd kissed him too. He looked at their joined hands and smiled.

Happy followed the angel's gaze. "Does this have something to do with what happened with you and Flirty?"

His eyes darted back up to Happy's face. "You know about that?"

"I know how he feels about you and he's dropping a lot of hints about something having happened."

Castiel pulled his hand free of Happy's. "I know that he can't really help it, but it's hard to take anything seriously when he would flirt or make out with anyone who crossed his path."

"Is that what's bothering you? You think his feelings aren't real?"

"I don't know what to think about it." Castiel shrugged and placed his hands on his lap.

Happy smiled and shook his head. "Oh, Cas. You really don't get it. You think Flirty is the only one that likes you?"

Castiel looked at him in confusion. "He's not?"

He shook his head again. "No, we all do. We're all Dean, and every aspect of him cares about you and admires you." When Castiel just stared dumbly, Happy continued. "Flirty is attracted to you and likes how strong you are. Sad Sack finds comfort with you and likes how you make him feel when he hates himself. Nerd likes how smart you are and admires the strategist that you are. Dick wants to fight by your side forever and loves how devoted you are to protecting him and Sam."

"What about you?" Castiel leaned on the table slightly.

"I like how kind you are and how much of a heart you have. I also think you're fun to be around and the best friend I've ever had."

Castiel smiled. "So you're saying that every part of Dean really feels that strong about me?" Happy nodded. "What about the demon?"

Happy's smile fell. "Like would be a strong word for him. I would say it was more that he has a respect for you. You were able to defeat him. Part of him hates you and fears you for that. He would do anything you said if pushed hard enough."

Castiel nodded, taking in all the new information. Happy stood and made to leave. Castiel grabbed his wrist. "What about the core Dean?"

Happy looked at the floor. "You saved him. He was being torn apart in Hell and you saved him. Who couldn't love the person that saved their life, their soul?"

Castiel's heart thudded in his ears. Dean loved him? He stood quickly, keeping Happy's wrist in hand and moved out of the kitchen at a quick pace. Happy followed willingly. He had an idea.

"Cas, what are you doing?" Happy laughed as Castiel dragged him down the hall.

He stopped suddenly and turned to Happy. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do."

"I believe that I can fix all this. I just need you to help me. You have to want this to work, all of you."

Happy furrowed his brows. "How?"

Castiel didn't explain, but led Happy through the hall and found Dean and Sam talking to most of the others.

* * *

"Cas, I really don't like this." Dean and Castiel were leading the group to the dungeon. Castiel had explained his plan to them and gotten an agreement from everyone, albeit a hesitant one.

"Do you have another idea?" Castiel knew the trap wouldn't hold long enough for them to come up with another plan.

Dean shook his head. "You really think this will work?"

"I think it's our best chance." Castiel stopped at the dungeon's door. Dick was inside with the demon. Everyone else lined up down the hall with Sam at the end to make sure no one tried to sneak off.

Nerd was in the front of the line, eager to see if this plan would actually work. Happy was behind him and was optimistic. Flirty looked slightly worried and Sad Sack was shaking in fear. Sam looked worried about all of this as well, but he hoped this would be the end of it.

Castiel turned to talk to all of them. "You all understand what's going to happen? I need cooperation from all of you to make this work." He watched as they all nodded to him. "Wait just a moment."

He opened the door and entered alone so he could talk to Dick about this. The demon greeted him with a shriek. Castiel glared at him, making him tilt his head curiously. He gestured to Dick to have him follow and led him into the hall.

"What's going on?" Dick was surprised by the group waiting outside.

"I think I can fix what's happening. I need everyone's help."

"Okay, what's the plan?" Dick was on board with anything that would protect Dean.

* * *

After explaining everything to Dick, Castiel entered the dungeon with the group. The demon grinned, showing all of his sharp teeth and moved to the edge of the trap.

Castiel kept eye contact with him and moved as close as he could without stepping into the trap. The demon widened his milky eyes and snapped his teeth at the angel.

Dick and Sam were standing in front of the others and waited for orders from Castiel. Sam was still shaky with facing this part of his brother, but he was ready to protect the group if he had to.

The demon kept his eyes on Dean as he waited behind Sam. He growled deep in his throat.

"Hey, look at me." Castiel used a commanding tone and circled the trap. The demon blinked but didn't look away. "I said look at me!" Castiel put some grace into his voice and flashed it in his eyes.

The demon turned his head sharply and set a hard glare at the angel. He stalked to that edge of his trap and smacked at the edge, causing him to be pushed back by the sigils. He howled at Castiel.

"You're gonna listen to me."

He sneered like he wanted to challenge that statement, but he continued to look at Castiel as he talked.

"I know what you want. You want to kill, to torture, and be free." Castiel walked until he had the demon facing away from the group.

The demon smiled and laughed. Castiel nodded. "I thought so. You can do all of that if you let me put you back together with the rest of Dean."

He had barely said Dean's name before the demon screamed and charged the edge of the trap. He clearly didn't like that idea. The sigils flashed as he hit the edge repeatedly. It was failing slowly.

Castiel took at breath and waited for the demon to relax. When he stopped shouting, Castiel spoke again. "Think about it. You can't function fully without them. You'll still get to do what you want as a part of Dean. You'll kill monsters all the time."

The demon seemed to consider that but shook his head and growled.

"You can't logic him into agreeing, Cas." Dick was getting worried that the trap would fail before Castiel could convince the demon.

"Dick, be quiet." Castiel hadn't looked up, but the demon did. He turned to face them and ran across to scream at them. "Don't!"

The group jumped back, aside from Dick. The demon laughed. Castiel circled again and blocked his view.

"Stop it." Castiel tiptoed the edge of the warding. "If you refuse, the other option is death. Is that what you want? Would you rather die or live?"

The demon glared at him. He glanced at the others and then back to Castiel. With a shrug, he turned away and stood in the middle of the circle. He opened his arms and looked at Castiel like he expected him to kill him.

Castiel furrowed his brows. He hadn't expected this. He was calling his bluff. He probably knew that Castiel didn't want Dean to stay fractured and scattered. Castiel decided to not back down and stepped into the trap.

"Cas, no!" Dean and Dick spoke together and moved closer.

"Stay there!" Castiel pointed at them. He wouldn't risk them.

"Look out!" Sam pointed behind Castiel.

Castiel turned just as the demon ran up to him. His eyes shined blue with grace again and the demon stopped just short of touching him. They stared at each other for a few seconds.

The demon narrowed his eyes and leaned his face closer like he was smelling the angel. He bared his teeth and let out a low noise.

Castiel stood his ground. "You can't intimidate me. I'm not afraid of you." He pulled his head back and stared circling Castiel. Castiel moved with him so he was never behind him. "And you will do what I say."

He got a snarl for that. Castiel reached out and roughly grabbed the demon's shirt. The demon grabbed his neck.

"Cas!" Dick moved again but stopped when Castiel put a hand up.

Castiel used his free hand and pulled the demon's fingers from his throat, bending them back at an unnatural angle. The demon screamed and tried to attack him. Castiel pushed him back, flinging him into the trap's edge where he bounced and fell to the floor.

"You will go back together with the others because your only other choice is death. Is that what you want?!" Castiel stood as the demon pushed up to his feet and huffed in rage.

He charged Castiel again and was smacked down at the angel's feet. He shrieked, shaking the walls, and looked up at Castiel.

Castiel grabbed the demon's hair and pulled him up to look at him. "Do you want to die or continue fighting and killing?"

The demon glared at him but seemed to be submitting to Castiel. "You want to live?" The demon nodded as much as he could in the tight grip.

"Good." Castiel motioned for Dean to come over.

Once Dean was inside the trap, the demon began tensing up and looked poised to attack. Castiel tugged his hair. "Stop it!"

When Dean was close enough, Castiel put a hand on his chest and focused on joining them together. He was still hitting resistance but it gave and the demon slowly vanished.

Dean felt like he had been punched in the chest and gasped. Then everything felt like it was on fire. He could feel the presence of the demon and thought he was trying to tear him apart from the inside. Dean screamed and fell to his knees.

Castiel watched in shock as Dean's appearance changed. He aged up to his current age and seemed to flash between his normal appearance and the demon. His voice was loud and had a demonic tone as he cried out in pain.

"Help me!" Dean grabbed his head, which felt like it was going to explode.

"Let me in there. I can fight him back." Dick ran up to Castiel, totally on board to join Dean again.

Castiel touched them both and easily pushed them together. Dean shouted but then seemed to calm slightly as Dick fought for control inside. The demonic flashes had stopped and he seemed more normal.

"Hurry, the rest of you." Castiel put a hand out to the others.

Sad Sack ran over and took Castiel's hand. Once he was gone, Dean sobbed a couple times.

"God, it hurts. Please fix this, Cas." Dean held onto Castiel's coat as the others stepped up for their turn.

Happy went next and helped level Dean out. Flirty followed. Nerd was the last and nodded to Castiel.

"You figured it out." He smiled at the angel.

"I had some help." Castiel put a hand on his shoulder and put the final piece of Dean back.

Sam and Castiel both crouched next to Dean as he took a few breaths. Sam put a hand on his shoulder. "Dean, you okay?"

Dean still felt like something was moving around inside him, but he felt more normal than he had since this started. He looked at his brother and sighed. "Yeah, I think I am."

"Dean?" Castiel was looking at him in concern.

"I'm alright, Cas." Dean smiled at him.

They both helped him stand. He was a little unbalanced but walked fine. "I think I need to sleep for a couple days."

Sam laughed. "I bet"

They walked Dean to his room. He fell onto his bed and almost immediately fell asleep. While he slept, memories surfaced from all the other parts of him. Everything they'd done and said came flooding into his mind. He woke up and had a deep fear pounding in his chest. What was he going to do now?

* * *

Dean emerged from his room and didn't see Sam or Castiel anywhere. He walked by Sam's room and heard the TV inside and figured he was in there. He continued down the hall and went to the kitchen. That's where he found Castiel.

Castiel turned when he heard Dean stop in the doorway. He stood. "How are you feeling?"

"Alright." Dean came down the steps slowly. "A little weird about what happened."

Castiel tilted his head slightly. "Why?"

"It's not fun to have all the vulnerable parts of yourself exposed for everyone to see." Dean walked by Castiel and retrieved a beer from the fridge.

"Well, it's like Sam said. We've seen all those parts of you before, just not so extreme. It was nothing to be embarrassed about."

Dean took a drink and shrugged. "So you weren't surprised by anything?" Dean watched his reaction.

Castiel remembered all that was said and done with the other parts of Dean, things that Dean should remember now. "Maybe some things." He gave Dean a small smile.

Dean smiled and took another drink of his beer. "Any of it make you want to run away screaming?"

He shook his head slowly. "I've already seen and accepted the worst part of you, Dean. I'm not going anywhere. I like every part of you." He had taken a couple steps closer to Dean.

"They seem to like you too." Dean put his drink down.

"You remember everything?"

Dean nodded. "The good and bad." He'd had flashes of kissing Castiel and being in bed with him, but he'd also seen all the people that suffered at his hands, as the demon, while he made his way to the bunker. What were a few more nightmares?

Castiel saw his face grow sad. "Dean," Castiel put a hand on his shoulder, "it's not your fault. Whatever bad happened, was not your fault."

Dean looked away from Castiel. "Sure it is, but I can't do anything about it now."

Castiel brought his hand up to Dean's cheek. "Focus on the good."

"The good?" Dean looked at him now and smiled. "You want more of the good, Cas?"

Castiel smiled. "If you do."

He laughed and leaned down to brush his lips close to Castiel's. "I think you know that I do." Dean kissed him and felt pleasure rise up through him. He wrapped his arms around Castiel's waist.

They kissed in the kitchen briefly before Dean pulled back and took Castiel's hand. He led him back to his room and made a few new memories. They never did figure out who or what had scattered Dean in the first place. Dean wasn't sure if he wanted to thank them or hate them, but it turned out alright for everyone.

The end


End file.
